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The conversation about #opendata standards made me coin the term “tech wokeness” @Morchickit @anabmap @gemma_scire @mikorulez @SilvanavF
“Tech wokeness”: using civic tech on behalf of the marginalized, not by the marginalized. Replaces the ends with the means: tech availability & “good” UX are sufficient catalysts for beneficial social change.
It’s technocratic: an unalienable democratic outcome comes from us FOSS’ing this for you. If you complain it’s not inclusive or intersectional then you’re inserting politics into something that promises to remove any need for politics
Tech wokeness also can be tokenism. We have some of "those people" on our team. Therefore we're woke. (I can hear it now: what more do you want from us? We invited you onto a panel...)
Tech wokeness derivatives…
Data wokeness: transparency=automatic accountability (bc who needs a new legal regime to punish that which the data reveals?)=new insights that used to influence policy (as if data ever really does).
Data wokeness: We'll save you the trouble of messy public consultations; the data we got by surveilling, quantifying, mapping & analyzing your contributions will reveal what you authentically want. The alternative is subjective & less convenient
#Opendata standards wokeness: machine interoperability=transparency, universality, usability & human readability. Standards are peak wokeness bc their objectivity obviates race, gender in their design. How could an x,y coordinate be subjective, exclusionary?
Algorithmic wokeness: as long as we compute (eg debias) on behalf of the public, build an ethics framework (but not nec adhere to the implications of its diluted yet lofty rhetoric), we're absolved of responsibility. Responsible AI by shifting responsibility
Tech wokeness may be done with good intentions. But if it makes no one uncomfortable then it’s performative at best & compounds the problem at worst
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